Option agreements for land in Leicester
For owners in Leicester and the LE1 area, an option agreement is worth understanding before you talk to any buyer, including us.
An option can capture more of your land's value where it needs a long planning journey, but the details matter. We explain every term before you commit.
- No commission: we're the buyer
- Figures explained, so you can check them
- No pressure to decide
Get an offer for land in Leicester
Free, no-obligation appraisal.
Where Leicester sits
Land around Leicester falls under England's planning system. The closest towns we also cover are Humberstone, 2 miles away, and Oadby, 3 miles away.
Largely lowland farmland and growing towns. Unlike many Midlands counties, Leicestershire has no designated green belt.
| Town | Leicester |
|---|---|
| County | Leicestershire |
| Country | England |
| Postcode district | LE1 |
| OS grid square | SK50 |
| Nearest towns we cover | Humberstone (2 mi), Oadby (3 mi), Wigston (4 mi) |
| Planning system | National Planning Policy Framework and local plan |
| When you're paid | Option fee now, price when the option is exercised |
| Planning costs | Ours, sometimes recoverable from the price |
When an option agreement suits land near Leicester
- Land being considered in a local plan review
- Holdings where several owners need to work together
- Owners who want to keep farming until development
- Sites with technical issues that need time to resolve
If your land could be allocated in a future local plan, an option keeps it moving towards development without you funding the work.
The terms that matter
Option fee
A payment on signing, which you usually keep even if the option isn't exercised.
Purchase price
Often a percentage of market value with permission, less agreed costs.
Minimum price
A floor that protects you if values fall.
Deductions
Which planning and infrastructure costs come off the price before you're paid.
Land near Leicester that an option agreement suits
Barns and rural buildings in Leicester
Less common for single buildings but can suit whole farmyards.
Small sites in Leicester
Useful if land needs assembling from more than one owner.
Brownfield land in Leicester
Can suit larger brownfield sites with a longer planning route.
Inherited and probate land in Leicester
Can suit families who want to hold on while planning is explored.
How a sale works
Send us the address
A postcode, a plan or a what3words location is enough to start.
We check it properly
Title, planning history, access, flood maps and local policy.
We put an offer in writing
It shows how we got there. There's no obligation to accept.
The legal work
Your solicitor and ours handle the contract through to completion.
Planning and legal points for land in Leicestershire
Planning framework
Planning decisions in England follow the National Planning Policy Framework, revised in August 2026, and the local plan, prepared by the council or, in a national park, the park authority. Plans are reviewed periodically, which is when new housing sites are usually allocated.
Section 106 and CIL
Larger schemes often need a Section 106 agreement for affordable housing or contributions, and councils that have adopted the Community Infrastructure Levy charge it per square metre of new floorspace.
Awkward details we deal with
You want to be sure we'll actually pursue planning
Agreements can include obligations to use reasonable endeavours and set milestones.
You'd like your advisers' costs covered
Many option agreements include a contribution to the landowner's legal and agent costs. We'll tell you if ours does.
Useful to send us
- Your title number, if you know it
- Details of any tenants or grazing agreements
- Photos of the land and its access
- How soon you'd ideally like to sell
Your questions answered
How is the price set?
Usually as a percentage of the land's market value once permission is granted, minus agreed costs, with a minimum price. The percentage and deductions are negotiated.
How long do options last?
It varies with the site. Several years is typical for land needing local plan allocation, often with extension rights.
What's the difference between an option and a promotion agreement?
Under an option the buyer has the right to buy the land. Under a promotion agreement a promoter gets permission and then sells the land on the open market, taking a share of the proceeds. We offer options, not promotion agreements.
How do I get an offer for land in Leicester?
Use the form on this page or call 0800 088 6248. Tell us the postcode, the rough size and anything you know about planning, and we'll come back to you.
Also near Leicester
Other land in Leicester
- Development land
- Land with planning permission
- Land without planning permission
- Large strategic sites
- Land for affordable homes
- Farmland and agricultural land
- Paddocks and equestrian land
- Barns and rural buildings
- Building plots
- Garden land and backland
- Infill plots and gap sites
- Small sites
- Garage sites
- Brownfield land
- Redundant commercial and industrial land
- Inherited and probate land
- Landlocked land and access problems
- Outright purchase
- Subject-to-planning sale
- Joint ventures
- All land in Leicester
- Option agreements in Leicestershire
Find out what we'd pay for your land near Leicester
Send the postcode and a rough size. We'll check the title and planning position and come back to you.